Number Of Traditional Pipe Smokers In US, Canada and Europe

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Jan 30, 2020
2,769
9,002
New Jersey
99.99% of my pipe smoking is done at home, alone. If I bump into 10, 100, or 1,000 people during a week while I'm out and about - NONE of them would know I enjoy a pipe.
I can't speak for others, but my suspicion is that "most" of us enjoy this activity while alone.
That's where I think the true numbers are.
I imagine the majority just smoke their pipe and blend they get from a local gas station or drug store. There’s an older guy down on Main Street by where I live that’s always just puffing away around his house. He only smokes captain black gold and he has no idea what brand pipe he had. I can all but guarantee he’s never heard of C&D or Sutliff or anyone else other than whatever pouches or tubs he can buy at whatever store he gets them at.
 

Alejo R.

Lifer
Oct 13, 2020
1,338
2,924
50
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I think the reason you see more pipe smokers overseas than here is simple. Most other countries are more tolerant of public pipe smoking than the U.S.. As for Latin America, it's a cultural thing. They are more into cigars and cigarettes. puffy
From what I can tell, although there have always been tobacco shops in Argentina, 95% of those who smoke cigars today are the result of the fashion generated by the boom of the 90s.
 
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sardonicus87

Lifer
Jun 28, 2022
1,818
16,252
38
Lower Alabama
I'll only have one bowl a day usually because I can't smoke and do something at the same time, other than maybe driving (and by doing something, I mean physically moving around or needing to use my hands, not like, watching TV or something). That also includes cigarettes. The only time I almost exclusively smoke a pipe rather than cigarettes, is when I'm on vacation.

It's just too inconvenient to haul pipe shit around all day, so I only do that at home, because for me, it's not satisfying to puff on a pipe for 5-10 minutes and put it down. If just 5-10 min of a pipe could give the same level of satisfaction as a single cigarette, might be more worth it for me. But it takes a good 45 minutes on a pipe to get there, and I can't just take a 45 minute break. I'd also smoke more than one bowl at home if I could stand to smoke inside, or could stand to clench and could stand smoking while doing something else, but I can't.

It might also be different if I lived in a walkable city where the heat index wasn't 100+ °F for half the year and had a good 30 minute walk between places, but I don't and it's a pita to light up for 10 min at a time driving between places when I am out (though 99% of the time, I am on my motorcycle rather than the car).

But, it also begs the question of what is even meant by "traditional pipe smoker", as opposed to "hobbyist" or something.

Either way, I know very few people as it is, and no stranger I ever come across would ever know, they never see it.
 

Alejo R.

Lifer
Oct 13, 2020
1,338
2,924
50
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I'll only have one bowl a day usually because I can't smoke and do something at the same time, other than maybe driving (and by doing something, I mean physically moving around or needing to use my hands, not like, watching TV or something). That also includes cigarettes. The only time I almost exclusively smoke a pipe rather than cigarettes, is when I'm on vacation.

It's just too inconvenient to haul pipe shit around all day, so I only do that at home, because for me, it's not satisfying to puff on a pipe for 5-10 minutes and put it down. If just 5-10 min of a pipe could give the same level of satisfaction as a single cigarette, might be more worth it for me. But it takes a good 45 minutes on a pipe to get there, and I can't just take a 45 minute break. I'd also smoke more than one bowl at home if I could stand to smoke inside, or could stand to clench and could stand smoking while doing something else, but I can't.

But, it also begs the question of what is even meant by "traditional pipe smoker", as opposed to "hobbyist" or something.

Either way, I know very few people as it is, and no stranger I ever come across would ever know, they never see it.
Tobacco smoker in a pipe is traditional. Much pipes are for weed
 

Sig

Lifer
Jul 18, 2023
2,062
11,681
54
Western NY
I dont know where they get their numbers, but its well known in the tobacco world to NEVER disclose your tobacco usage. Whether it be to a doctor, or survey.
Two things in this world I either deny or lie about are tobacco usage and gun ownership.
Heck, you could go to a gun show to do a survey and not find a single gun owner. :)
 

PaulRVA

The Gentleman From Richmond
I dont know where they get their numbers, but its well known in the tobacco world to NEVER disclose your tobacco usage. Whether it be to a doctor, or survey.
Two things in this world I either deny or lie about are tobacco usage and gun ownership.
Heck, you could go to a gun show to do a survey and not find a single gun owner. :)
Lost them in a Boating Accident bro!
 

Sig

Lifer
Jul 18, 2023
2,062
11,681
54
Western NY
Lost them in a Boating Accident bro!
The sea level has risen over 40 feet just from the number of lost firearms in the last 20 years.....true story.
When NYS banned full featured MSRs in 2013, I lost about 20 from my canoe!!....also a true story.
 
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keith929

Lifer
Nov 23, 2010
4,053
27,234
Central New Jersey
In my travels Germany, Bosnia and Israel seemed to have the most from my observations while there.
I did see a couple in Seoul South Korea and Jakarta and Bali Indonesia that were locals and obvious Codgers.
I never observed any in Central America, South America, Canada or the Caribbean. I honestly wonder if a lot of the numbers are just dabblers and based on sales and don’t really account for actual dedicated smokers ? Im betting it’s just a couple hundred per state in the US as I rarely see one a year here in Virginia including DC Metro and Tidewater.
That one person you see in the DMV is me visitingpuffy
 
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FLDRD

Lifer
Oct 13, 2021
3,083
13,138
Arkansas
I'll only have one bowl a day usually because I can't smoke and do something at the same time,
Funny thing, last week when it "dropped down" to 92F and I was outside trying to enjoy a pipe I decided I'd clench the damn thing and shoot some hoops; I was sweating anyway. Kept my mouth shut, breathed through my nose, and went after it for about 15 minutes. Full bent, not straight.
 

bersekero

Can't Leave
Nov 29, 2023
365
791
Greece
I'll only have one bowl a day usually because I can't smoke and do something at the same time, other than maybe driving (and by doing something, I mean physically moving around or needing to use my hands, not like, watching TV or something). That also includes cigarettes. The only time I almost exclusively smoke a pipe rather than cigarettes, is when I'm on vacation.

It's just too inconvenient to haul pipe shit around all day, so I only do that at home, because for me, it's not satisfying to puff on a pipe for 5-10 minutes and put it down. If just 5-10 min of a pipe could give the same level of satisfaction as a single cigarette, might be more worth it for me. But it takes a good 45 minutes on a pipe to get there, and I can't just take a 45 minute break. I'd also smoke more than one bowl at home if I could stand to smoke inside, or could stand to clench and could stand smoking while doing something else, but I can't.

It might also be different if I lived in a walkable city where the heat index wasn't 100+ °F for half the year and had a good 30 minute walk between places, but I don't and it's a pita to light up for 10 min at a time driving between places when I am out (though 99% of the time, I am on my motorcycle rather than the car).

But, it also begs the question of what is even meant by "traditional pipe smoker", as opposed to "hobbyist" or something.

Either way, I know very few people as it is, and no stranger I ever come across would ever know, they never see it.
I had the same issue, so whenever I only had a little time, I used to smoke a cigarette or vape instead of a pipe.
At some point though, I realized it wasn’t great to be smoking a pipe and cigarettes and vaping, so I came up with a solution that actually works for me.

Basically, I wanted to drop everything else and smoke only the pipe. For that, I keep two small group 3 pipes. I load them with strong blends like Standard Mixture or 965, and since the bowls are small, they hit harder and deliver satisfaction and a nice nicotine buzz pretty quickly. I do smoke them a bit hotter and faster, and I’ll even inhale a little at the start. That way, in 5–10 minutes I get the same kind of kick I would from a cigarette. Then I can put the pipe down and come back to it later with the remaining tobacco for another short session.

It doesn’t matter where I am—at home, on the street, anywhere. Outside, I put the loaded pipe in the sock it comes with, along with two or three pipe cleaners. I carry only the absolute essentials: a lighter and a pipe tool. Everything fits in my pockets; I don’t carry a pipe pouch in my hand. When I stop smoking, I put the metal cap on the pipe and it’s ready for later. Of course, it’s not as convenient and easy as a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, but it’s not terribly difficult either.
Since I no longer smoke any cigarettes and I don’t vape, I don’t mind this minor inconvenience.
 
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spike

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 21, 2009
225
506
We no longer have anything in the Richmond Metro. Cigars shops with a few random tins and basket level pipes are the best you’ll come across. To get to a true Pipe B&M involves a trip to Georgetown / DC 2 hrs, Roanoke 3hrs or Philly 5 hrs or South to Charlotte NC.
The Historic shops of just a few decades ago in places like Baltimore, Atlanta etc are gone.
John B. Hayes in Winchester is also a very good shop.
 
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MartyA

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 5, 2024
163
552
75
Iowa
I live in a very small town in rural Iowa, and I'm the only pipe smoker I know. HOWEVER, if one is judging tobacco use by how many smokers one sees in public, the count will be very low due to the fact that it's generally considered rude here in the states to smoke in public where others are exposed to your smoke.
Sitting outside my house reading and smoking my pipe, I've never gotten a less than complementary remark or even a peeved sideways glance. I'm sure it would be a different story if I smoked in some public area.
 

gnarlybriar

Might Stick Around
Jun 11, 2009
76
42
75
Chesterfield, VA
but, PaulRVA, and y'all, the CORPS meets every month in RVA - as it has since 1984! and if you want to see a LOT of pipe smokers in one place, join us at our Pipe Smokers' Exposition September 13-14 in Colonial Heights, VA at the Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum corpsrva.org
 
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